


Summer Mood

by lamarina



Category: SHINee
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, M/M, Realizing Feelings, tried to make them cute and awkward
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-12
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2020-08-19 16:17:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20212669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lamarina/pseuds/lamarina
Summary: hello!! i had fun writing this fic!! i hope it's cute i tried to keep it lowkey and chill to fit the "summer mood." i also started writing it during a time i was pretty busy, so i didn't always get to working on this as often as i wanted. but i did enjoy writing it; it's just not a super action packed story. i hope you enjoy it anyway!





	Summer Mood

**Author's Note:**

> hello!! i had fun writing this fic!! i hope it's cute i tried to keep it lowkey and chill to fit the "summer mood." i also started writing it during a time i was pretty busy, so i didn't always get to working on this as often as i wanted. but i did enjoy writing it; it's just not a super action packed story. i hope you enjoy it anyway!

“Oh, look, Jonghyun and his mom already made it back.”

“Huh?” Minho looks up from his phone, looking out the passenger side window as his mom pulls into their driveway. “How did they make it here before us? They came all the way from North Carolina…”

Minho’s mother smiles. “Well, that’s nice though, isn’t it? You guys can start catching up tonight, if you want.” She puts the car into park and turns off the ignition.

“Yeah…” Minho hums. He unbuckles his seatbelt and clicks the unlock button on the door. “Let’s hurry and unload everything. Pizza sounds good for dinner, yeah?”

+

Thrumming his thumbs against his desk, Minho stares into space. He’s just finished his first year of university at Dartmouth. Minho had worked so hard to get into the small Ivy school in New Hampshire, not just academically, but athletically as well.

By spending every possible moment since the age of 6 either on the field (summer, spring, and part of the fall) or at the racquet center (winter), Minho became an excellent soccer player, and the university noticed. He was granted a scholarship that will cover the majority of the costs for four years, relieving a great financial burden from his family.

Now the year has ended, and he’s back home in Syracuse, with his cleats, his ball, and not much to do. He’s already unpacked just about all of his belongings, inhaled half a pizza by himself, and it’s only just past 6 PM and it’s still bright out.

Minho picks up his phone and opens his contact list. Jonghyun’s number is still the same, right?

+

“Did you say hi to Minho yet?”

Jonghyun’s mother peeks into her son’s bedroom, where he’s sitting cross legged on his bed, flipping through one of his notebooks from spring semester, with his dachshund, Roo, sleeping next to him.

Jonghyun rubs his eyes and yawns. “Not yet. I mean...we’ve both just only got back. He’s probably unwinding from the year. Decompressing, and all that.”

His mom nods. “Yes, you're right. Well, get some rest. It’s summer now, so you don’t have to worry about anything!” She slips out the door and shuts it gently.

Jonghyun laughs to himself. “Well, that's just not true.” Next to his leg, his phone buzzes and moves slightly on the bed, disturbing Roo’s nap.

18:27  
minho: do you want to get milkshakes?

18:28  
minho: im buying 

+

“You still like caramel the best, right?”

Minho looks over at Jonghyun, who’s standing by his side and perusing the milkshake menu, biting his thumbnail. “I want to try peanut butter.”

“Okay. One peanut butter and one chocolate, please. And a large fry.” Minho pays the cashier and takes the receipt slip with their number on it, and he and Jonghyun walk to a table in the back of the small, old-fashioned hamburger place they ate lunch at frequently when they were in high school.

Minho laces his fingers under his chin and uses this time to get a good look at Jonghyun. He hasn’t seen him since winter break, since he had stayed in Durham for spring break, where his mom and sister had visited him. Minho had driven the considerably shorter distance between Hanover and Syracuse to see his family for the week.

Jonghyun looks mostly the same. His hair, bleached blond, now has dark roots peeking at the top. His skin is tanned from the southern sun, and his cheeks are full. He looks good.

“You look good.”

Jonghyun blushes and pushes some hair behind his ears. “Thanks. I really need a haircut. I want to go to the salon soon, and I need my roots touched up. Might even try that lemon-in-your-hair trick works for lightening it. Wait, does that work with dyed hair?”

Minho scrunches up his nose. “The what?”

“Never mind.” Jonghyun laughs. “Thank you, though. Living in the south is different from New York, for sure. More sun, even in the winter.”

Minho contemplates this. “Maybe I’ll visit you. Would that be okay?”

Jonghyun smiles. “I'd like that.”

The cashier brings the pair their milkshakes and fries and sets the tray between them. “Enjoy!” She smiles and walks away from the table, ponytail swishing.

Minho checks the lids of the shakes and passes Jonghyun the one with the ‘PB’ written on it in black marker and takes the other one for himself. “Do you have any plans for the summer?”

“No.” Jonghyun takes a sip of his shake, but it's too thick so he takes to stirring it with the straw instead. “Both my mom and Sodam are bother pretty busy with work, so...I think I’ll just be taking Roo for a lot of walks, and also, trying to learn how to play the piano.”

“Really!”

Jonghyun nods. “I took a keyboarding class in the fall, and I…” He trails off, and laughs at himself. “I sucked at it. But, I’m determined to get better! I’ve heard from a lot of people in the program that they write their songs on the piano, and it’s really conducive to their creative process so…” He peters off again, and takes another drink from his milkshake.

Minho smiles. “I think that’s great. You’ve always been so musically inclined, as far back as junior high school…” It’s Minho’s turn to trail off, and the conversation stills, the two of them sitting back and sipping on the remnants of their shakes.

Jonghyun stands up suddenly and pulls a few dollar bills from his wallet. “Sorry, Minho, I better get going. This should be enough to cover everything…”

“What? No! It’s okay, I said I was paying. I get it if you have to go, but...keep your money. Okay?” Minho smiles softly up at Jonghyun, who just swallows and nods.

Jonghyun walks over to the door and pushes it open, and then calls over his shoulder to Minho, “I...I might text you.”

“Okay.” Minho smiles. “I’ll answer.”

Jonghyun leaves the restaurant and Minho drops his head to his hands.

+

Minho walks home a little bit later, enjoying the cool summer evening air as the sun finally begins to set. He decides to take the long way home, intentionally going out of his way to take streets that wouldn't directly take him to his house, just to take in the evening a little longer.

He ends up passing the skate park and nearly gets mowed down by some kids flipping tricks on their boards and scooters on the sidewalk, and feels increasingly older by the second as he tries to remember what it was like to be 10 years old, finally on summer vacation, and doing annoying kid stuff with his best friends.

It’s half past 8 when Minho gets home. His father’s car is gone but he can see his mother sitting in the living room through the open curtains.

“Hey, mom,” Minho calls, shutting the door behind him and stepping out of his sneakers. “I’m home.” He walks over to the couch his mom is sitting on, reading a magazine, and sits on the spot next to her. “Where’s dad?”

“Company dinner,” she answers. “How was catching up with Jonghyun?”

Minho looks down at his shirt and picks at a loose thread, pulling at it until it becomes long and unwieldy. “Awkward.”

His mother closes her magazine and places it on the coffee table. “How so?”

“I don't really know how...or why...it just was. We haven't talked much since graduation.” Minho puts his hands in his lap and sits up, changing the topic quickly. “I was thinking about getting a job this summer. What do you think?”

Anything to keep him busy these next three months.

“I don't know…” His mom frowns gently. “Don't you just want to enjoy the summer before you have to go back to school? I mean, of course, if you want help finding one I could ask Marin at the bookstore if there's a position she could get you.”

Minho claps his hands. “Please, mom, tjat would be great. Marin is so nice, I know she would be a good boss.” He tries not to sound like he’s pleading, but it’s clear he is.

His mother signs. “Of course, sweetie. For you. Marin will be happy to have an extra set of hands around, anyway. The summer can be slow sometimes but she always has to get ready for back to school in August.”

Minho leans over and kisses his mom on the cheek. “Thank you.”

She dismisses him with a wave of her hand. “You should see what Jonghyun is doing tomorrow. I know you said you two have grown apart but it's not too late to try and bridge the gap. You were always such good friends, ever since junior high school. In high school, especially.”

Oh, Jesus.

Minho blushes. “Yeah. I know. College just...it can change things.”

“I know, sweetie.”

+

Minho starts working at the bookstore the next day, and works there for about two without much even happening, since things are, for the most part, slow. When there are only a few customers in the store, and he has nothing else to do, Minho will sit at the check stand and just people watch. He’s seen pretty much every type of person that comes to a bookstore: parents looking for a birthday gift; entire families coming in, the children picking any books they want; teenagers looking for a place to loiter that won't give them any trouble; people just wanting a quick reprieve from the heat; and couples on dates.

Dates.

Minho wants to go on a date. Despite wanting a job to keep him occupied and his mind busy, Minho keeps thinking about the awkward meeting he and Jonghyun had over milkshakes a few weeks ago, and it makes him cringe.

It wasn't at all how he imagined him and Jonghyun’s first hang out after returning home for the summer. Like Minho’s mother said, they had been been close throughout junior high and high school. But what she didn't know was that sometime between sophomore and junior years of high school, Minho quietly developed a crush on Jonghyun. He kept it to himself, for obvious reasons, but letting the crush while going about their daily lives only made Minho like him more.

But after graduation, and he and Jonghyun ended up on opposite ends of the east coast for university, naturally, distance was created between the two of them. While that was typical of high school friends that go onto attend different colleges, Minho was always hopeful he’d be able to stay just as close to his friends as they always were.

Lost in thought, Minho shakes his head and checks the time on his phone. It’s nearly 1, the store is empty, and Minho is hungry. Now’s as good as time as any to lock up and take half an hour for lunch.

Before he can swing the sign on the front door to “CLOSED,” Minho spots Jonghyun across the street, sitting at the café Minho was going to get a sandwich at. After waffling between going over and saying something to him or minding his business, Minho decides maybe he’ll get lunch elsewhere.

+

21:32  
jonghyun: How is it this hot when it's nearly 10 pm

21:34  
minho: didn’t you just spend the better part of the past year living in the south  
this should be nothing to you

21:37  
jonghyun: Doesn't mean I liked it

Minho grins at his phone. He got off at the bookstore at 7 and had been helping his mom clean the house for about an hour when Jonghyun texted, telling Minho he was sorry for being so MIA for the past few weeks but he was volunteering at one of the art galleries in town and that took up quite a bit of his free time and was it true that Minho got a job and would he like to hang out in his next day off?

Obviously.

21:49  
minho: hey are you hungry?

21:51  
jonghyun: Not really. It’s kind of late. What did you have in mind?

22:01  
minho: let me in 

Minho’s standing in front of Jonghyun’s door, holding a box of popsicles, bouncing on the balls of his feet, waiting.

22:06  
jonghyun: Minho! It’s late...I can't let you in through the front door. You know how it is.

Minho does indeed know how it is, though his parents are less strict than Jonghyun's mother tends to be.

22:08  
minho: ok i’ll take the window

22:09  
jonghyun: ???????

Abandoning the box of popsicles on the grass at the side of his house (sorry, mom--he’ll buy more), Minho climbs over the fence that separates the two of their houses. He lands with a thud and a grunt and stands back up, brushing dirt and grass off of his pants. It’s dark out now and he can’t see much, though the light from Jonghyun’s window helps illuminate things.

Hearing the commotion, Jonghyun goes to his window and opens it. Seeing Minho standing and sizing up the side of his house, he grins but shakes his head. “Think you can make it up here?”

Minho kicks the side of the house. “Guess I have to, right?” He sticks his fingers between the tiles and feels them. “Like Spider-Man.”

Jonghyun rolls his eyes. “Okay, sure.” He moves from the window and sits on his bed and waits, half expecting Minho to text him they can just hang out tomorrow during the day, and half expecting the other boy to come barreling through his window.

And, as the odds would have it, he is half right. Jonghyun gets off his bed quickly to help a struggling Minho get in through his window, tumbling onto Jonghyun’s bedroom floor.

“Good thing you have carpet instead of hardwood,” Minho grunts, standing up. “Hey.”

Jonghyun smiles. “Hey.”

“Can I sit?” Minho says awkwardly, holding his hands behind his back.

“Oh! Yeah!” Jonghyun sits down on his mattress and makes room for Minho. 

Minho takes his shoes off and sets them underneath the window. “You’re right. It is fucking hot out there.” He leans back on his arms and closes his eyes, droplets of sweat rolling down his cheek and jaw. “I had popsicles but I abandoned them on the grass…”

Jonghyun shoves Minho in the shoulder. “I thought we were gonna eat something together.”

“Well, um, that was just an excuse. I wanted to come over and talk.”

“So late?”

“Sorry. It’s been on my mind for, like, a few weeks. Pretty much since we both got back and, uh, got milkshakes together.”

Jonghyun bites his thumbnail. “Okay. You can talk.”

Minho runs his hands up and down his thighs and breathes slowly. “Sorry. I'm anxious.” He turns to face Jonghyun and puts one of his hands on his shoulder, looking him in the eyes. It's intense, but he's serious, and he wants to say this now. “I like you.”

“Huh?”

“I mean, like, seriously. It's weird. I'm sorry. I started liking you when we were tenth graders and I really thought it would be gone by now, but you came back a few weeks ago, and so did I, and…” Minho peters off, moving his hand and looking at the ceiling. Jonghyun still has glow in the dark stars on it. “I just wanted to be honest about it.”

“Minho, I…”

“Sorry this is a lot all at once. Like I said, it's been on my mind.”

“I like you too!” Jonghyun blurts, before Minho has the chance to go off on another tangent. “I like you.”

Minho blinks his big eyes for a second. “You do?”

Jonghyun shrugs shyly. “Yeah, I mean, come on. Who wouldn't?”

“I thought you didn't! You know, things were weird between us at first. I mean, it was awkward.”

“We just hadn't seen each other in a while, you know...and me, well, I liked you! Like you. And I didn't know what to say.”

Minho leans forward. “I think we said enough tonight...can I, kiss you?”

Jonghyun nods, and Minho presses his lips against Jonghyun’s. Both of them sigh into the kiss and lean into each other.

“Wow.”

Minho presses his forehead against Jonghyun’s. “I like you so much.”

Feeling bold, Jonghyun runs his hand up and down one of Minho’s arms. “Will you show me how much?”

“Oh, God. Yeah, yeah. I can.” Minho fumbles a bit and shimmies down to the floor and looks up at Jonghyun. “This is okay?”

“More than okay.”

Minho reaches for the waistband of Jonghyun’s sweatpants and tugs them down slowly. Jonghyun helps, lifting his hips so they can be pushed fully down his legs. Minho places one of his hands on one of Jonghyun’s thighs and wraps the other around his cock.

Jonghyun shivers. 

Biting his lip, Minho strokes Jonghyun’s cock slowly, concentrating on the feel of hot skin under his palm. Precum was gathering at the tip, and Minho rubs the palm of his hand on it, making Jonghyun groan and shift his hips. He’s fully hard now, so Minho moves his hand faster.

“Um, I've never done this before,” Minho says. 

Jonghyun gasps. “You're doing really good. I’m close, actually…”

Minho smiles and ducks his head down, and experimentally dips the tip of his tongue into the slit of Jonghyun’s cock, making him jump and groan. He’s not used to this type of stimulation and touch.

“Minho, faster, please,” Jonghyun says, putting his tongue between his lips.

Minho moves his fist quicker over Jonghyun’s dick, using some of his spit to ease the glide. Before he can do much else, Jonghyun comes, spilling hot and wet all over Minho’s first and arm.

“Oh, fuck,” Jonghyun mumbles. Minho pulls his hand away and decides at the last second to wipe it on his jeans, which he instantly regrets.

“Was it nice?” Minho asks. He doesn't know what else to say.

“Yes.” Jonghyun smiles. He leans back and falls against the bed. Minho joins him, and Jonghyun looks him over. “You're gross.”

“It's your fault. Can I stay the night and borrow some pajamas?”

“I don't think they'll fit.”

“You are shorter than I remember.”

“Don't be an ass.”

“But, can I stay the night?”

“Yes. But no funny ideas!”

“Never…”

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading :)
> 
> [summer mood](https://youtu.be/RrT2t1ehh9A) by best coast


End file.
